Katrina Lane-Krebs

With over two decades of experience in higher education and clinical nursing, my career has been shaped by a commitment to equity, collaborative leadership and meaningful, place-based education. 

My professional journey evolved across a range of clinical settings, including acute care, community health, regional practice and forensic nursing. Exposure to complex, high-stakes environments, particularly within forensic contexts, deepened my understanding of trauma, vulnerability and the intersection between health and justice. These formative experiences not only shaped my clinical practice but also ignited a lifelong commitment to knowledge acquisition and critical inquiry.

As a result, I developed three distinct yet interconnected career pathways: clinical expertise underpinned by frontline and forensic practice; education that emphasises inclusive, practice-informed learning; and applied research focused on real-world challenges in health, equity and psychosocial wellbeing. These pathways are mutually reinforcing, enabling me to make meaningful contributions to the advancement of person-centred care, interdisciplinary scholarship, and socially responsive health systems.

As a research cluster lead for psychosocial wellbeing, I now have the privilege of working with researchers in diverse environments. Wellbeing extends beyond the absence of illness and disease, encompassing the interplay of mental, emotional, physical, and social dimensions of health. This research focuses on the broader cultural, social, environmental, technological, economic, and political factors that influence the health of individuals, families, and communities. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, gender equity, climate-related displacement, migration, equitable access to information, systemic discrimination, food and medication security. Research within this theme aligns with the World Health Organisation’s 2020 global policy on health and wellbeing, emphasising the role of person-centred health systems, supportive environments, and community resilience.